"……I didn’t think you’d see through me quite so fast."
The armored explorer—Oliver—muttered.
His face was hidden behind his helmet, but I could tell a wry smile was playing on his lips.
"Just how many years do you think we spent together? Between your posture and the way you carried yourself when we met at Grandpa’s store last month, I knew it was you in an instant."
"I see. Perhaps I underestimated those eyes of yours. —So? I just need to crush this thing, right?"
Oliver asked, turning his gaze toward the giant skeleton.
I followed his lead. The forearm he had severed earlier was slowly drifting back toward the upper arm, as if being hoisted by invisible threads. If left alone, the limb would be fully restored in moments.
"Yeah. Subjugating that thing is the priority. We can’t leave it roaming around. But it’s nothing more than a lumbering puppet. If possible, I’d like to drag out whoever is pulling the strings."
"……Understood."
"Should I provide support while you handle the flow of combat, like we used to?"
"No, I don't need support. Golden Dawn is essentially finished, and there's no reason for you to be bound by it anymore, Orun."
"……Are you sure?"
"It’s not a matter of being sure; it’s simply the best choice. With the way we are now, we can probably make those pipe dreams we talked about when we first started as explorers a reality. ……Unless, of course, you aren't confident you can keep up with me?"
Oliver threw the provocation at me with a smirk in his voice.
I felt the corners of my mouth lift naturally.
The old me had lacked the strength to stand beside Oliver. Between my lack of talent and the party's needs, I had converted to an Enchanter. In the end, I was kicked out because even that wasn't enough.
And yet, here he was, acknowledging my skill as a front-line attacker. There was no way I couldn't feel a surge of joy.
"Not a chance. Fine, we’ll base our movements on the early days of Golden Dawn. We’ll cover for each other to fill the gap left by Luna’s absence. Sound good?"
"No complaints here. Let's finish this puppet in an instant, Orun!"
"Right. Let’s go, Oliver!"
The moment I shouted, Oliver kicked off the ground and lunged in a straight line toward the skeleton’s chest.
I’d felt a flicker of anxiety when he said he didn’t need my support, but he was moving faster than he ever had, even when I used to buff him. He hadn't cast any support magic on himself, either.
That left only one conclusion.
Oliver had mastered Ki control as well.
I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and began channeling mana into the formulas I’d constructed. I needed to trigger two spells before Oliver reached his target.
The first, Aero Cutter, sliced through the gap between the severed forearm and the upper arm. It severed the mana threads attempting to pull the limb back together. I couldn't get them all, but I managed to halt the repair of the arm holding the sword.
Simultaneously, a massive magic circle manifested above the monster. Mjolnir struck from the heavens with a thunderous roar.
However, even the lightning of Mjolnir failed to deal significant damage. The skeleton ignored the strike entirely. It clenched its empty fist and swung it at the incoming Oliver.
Oliver met the blow head-on with his longsword.
Since he’d told me support wasn’t necessary, I hadn’t activated Impact on his strike. No matter how much momentum he had, the sheer mass of the skeleton gave it the advantage. Slowly but surely, the giant fist began to push Oliver back.
But I knew better. The real Oliver wasn't the type to charge in recklessly.
Just as it looked like he was about to be sent flying, the skeleton’s forearm suddenly burst. It was a sight strikingly similar to when Haruto-san shattered his opponent’s weapon during last year’s tournament.
Having cleared the obstacle, Oliver used Mana Convergence to create a foothold in mid-air, preparing to leap even higher.
The skeleton, feeling no pain, seemed indifferent to the loss of its limb. It swung its giant sword—held in the hand it had just finished repairing—upward in a reverse diagonal slash. The blade reached Oliver before he could kick off his mana platform.
Giving up on the jump, Oliver swung his sword down to intercept the rising blade.
Earlier, he had only managed to match the skeleton’s strength because of his high-speed momentum. Even with Ki-enhanced physical abilities, he was still outmatched in raw power. Though he successfully blocked the damage, the force of the skeleton’s swing sent him hurtling into the sky.
Oliver being blown away was unexpected.
—However, our objective had been achieved.
Catching the entire sequence out of the corner of my eye, I had closed in on the skeleton’s feet a split second behind Oliver. While the monster’s hate was fixed on him up in the sky, I reached its legs. Without slowing my pace, I drew my magic sword, Schwarzhase, and swept it horizontally as I passed.
A pitch-black trajectory carved through the skeleton’s knee joint.
The bones were unnaturally hard, but just like a human body, the joints had to be flexible—and therefore softer—to allow for movement. Having lost its leg, the skeleton immediately lost its balance.
Once I had put enough distance between us, a brilliance so intense it could be mistaken for a second sun erupted in the sky.
The source was Oliver.
Golden mana, compressed so densely it was visible to the naked eye, gathered around his blade via Mana Convergence. The skeleton, which had been turning its hate toward me for the leg injury, snapped its attention back to the massive concentration of energy.
But by being distracted by me even for a second, it had lost the initiative. We held the reins of this battle now. The outcome was decided.
"—Heavenly Flash!"
Oliver brought his sword down. The golden mana transformed into a colossal wave of light that crashed into the skeleton.
The monster, still struggling to repair the leg I’d severed, couldn't move in time. It braced itself, holding its giant sword up like a shield to catch the Heavenly Flash. The golden slash exploded upon impact, swallowing the skeleton in a blinding aurora.
As the light faded, the silhouette of the skeleton reappeared.
When the brilliance finally vanished, the monster was a wreck. Its giant sword and arm were gone, and its entire frame was riddled with cracks. Ominous light leaked from the fractures in its skull. It was obvious the magic stone in its left eye was preparing a final act.
Its target was Oliver, the one who had brought it to the brink of destruction. The skeleton stared up at him as he hovered above, paying little mind to me behind it.
"……Sixth Form: Mont Sechs."
I fixed my gaze on the skeleton and shifted my magic sword into its bow form. I manifested converged mana from my storage magic tool. I had exhausted my supply during the stampede, but given the time that had passed, preparing a new batch was simple.
I drew the string, notched the arrow of mana, and used Gravity Manipulation to heighten the projectile's gravitational wave. I aimed for the back of the skeleton’s skull.
"—Heavenly Quake."
The pitch-black arrow used its gravitational force to punch through the cracked bone of the skull and pierce the massive magic stone within. A violent diffusion of mana followed, literally grinding the stone into dust.
Without its core, the skeleton could no longer maintain its form. It collapsed into a mountain of crumbling white bone.
"Is that it? That was a bit anticlimactic," Oliver remarked as he landed beside me.
"Yeah. I had a few more moves ready that went to waste. Still, it was good to fight with you again, Oliver."
"I feel the same. I suppose it was worth coming out this far."
"……So, are you going to tell me? Why you’re out here when you’re supposed to be in custody."
"Sorry, I can't be the one to tell you that. And for the record, I didn't break out. I can't give you the specifics, but I'm sure someone as sharp as you has already figured it out, right?"
He was right. I had a rough idea. I’d wanted to confirm my theory, but I wouldn't push if he couldn't speak.
"Well, I’ve got a logical guess. I’m just surprised Marquis Forgas allowed it."
"He’s changed. Or rather, he’s returned to the man he used to be."
"Because of Philly Carpenter’s Perception Alteration, then."
"…………Say, Orun. Why did you—"
Before Oliver could finish his question, the ground began to tremble.
"An earthquake? At a time like this? I’d hate to think this is just a natural phenomenon," I muttered.
Oliver nodded in agreement.
"Likely not. To think it would revive even after the magic stone was destroyed. I considered the possibility, but this is a pain."
As he spoke, the pile of white bones began to rattle and move on its own. They drifted into the air, slowly reconstructing the frame of the giant skeleton once more.
"The magic stone is the core, isn't it? How is it moving when the core is gone?" I asked, baffled by the illogical sight.
"…………I see."
I couldn't see Oliver's face, but he nodded as if he’d finally found the answer he was looking for.
"What did you figure out?"
Oliver was silent for a moment before speaking cryptically.
"…………If I had to put it one way, it’s about our current location."
I knew he wasn't talking about physical coordinates, but I didn't know what he meant. I wanted to press him, but with the skeleton reviving, we didn't have time for a chat.
"Orun, you know there’s a labyrinth a short distance to the west, right?" Oliver asked.
"……Yeah. What about it?"
"You said you wanted to drag out the person behind this."
"I did. What’s that got to do with the labyrinth?"
"Because the culprit controlling this thing is at the very bottom of that labyrinth."
"What?! How can you be sure?"
"My ability is Mana Convergence. Through an expanded interpretation of that, I can do something similar to Lucre’s mana tracking. I’ve confirmed that this skeleton is being supplied with mana from the west. Given the direction and distance, the labyrinth is the only likely source."
"I see. An expanded interpretation, huh."
By broadening the definition of an ability, one could develop entirely new applications. I wasn't sure exactly how he was using Mana Convergence to track mana, but the theory was sound.
"We’ll split up. I’ll stay and hold this thing off. You head to the lowest floor and beat the culprit. That’s the best move, isn't it?"
Oliver’s proposal was a godsend. I had plenty of questions for the Cyclamen Cult, and I didn't want to miss a chance to corner one of them.
Besides, our brief team-up had shown me just how strong Oliver was now. He could handle this skeleton alone without a problem.
……In fact, I suspected the current Oliver might even be stronger than me. Neither of us had shown our full hand, so it was just a guess, but a strong one nonetheless.
"……Got it. I’m heading to the labyrinth. The skeleton is yours!"
"Yeah. Go."
With our plan set, I left Oliver at my back and raced toward the labyrinth.
As I moved through the air toward my destination, the entrance to the labyrinth grew larger in my sight. As it came into focus, I realized someone was standing there.
It was an elderly man with graying hair, wearing the uniform of the Explorer Guild. He was a face I knew very well.
I landed nearby, keeping my guard up as the faint scent of blood lingering in the air hit my nose.
"I didn't expect you to show up at this exact moment," the man said, turning around.
His name was Leon Conti.
He was one of the four individuals at the absolute top of the Explorer Guild, overseeing all labyrinths in the southern continent. To the explorers of the Great Labyrinth of the South, he was simply known as 'The Guildmaster.'